It is tough to imagine a nicer lightly circulated gold coin than this 1875-CC Coronet $5 half eagle graded PCGS Very Fine 30. It carries a green Certified Acceptance Corp. sticker recognizing its quality, which is consistent for the expectations for the grade, with wear evident over the entire surface and intricate design details starting to flatten. 

The offered representative presents smooth wear, with weakly struck central devices typical for the issue, along with handsome orange-gold coloration. It sold for $5,040 in Heritage Auctions’ March 14 to 16 Dallas Signature Auction.

Inside Coin World: Collector finds Chicago businessman’s lucky silver dollar giveaways: Responses to collector questions, market trends for the 1895-O Barber dime, and the impact of the first grading guide are all the focus of columns in the April 15 “Coin World.”

For comparison, a much more typically marked and bright example graded PCGS VF-30 brought $3,600 at Heritage’s recent Long Beach Expo auction, while Extremely Fine examples are infrequently offered, with the last one selling for $8,500 in a December 2013 online auction. 

The always popular Carson City Mint issue saw a mintage of 11,828 coins. Heritage’s description added that, “A few Very Fine to Extremely Fine 1875-CC coins magically appeared in the mid-1990s to lessen the rarity of this challenging Carson City half eagle, yet it remains popular in all grades and nearly unknown in full Mint State condition.”

Connect with Coin World:  

Sign up for our free eNewsletter
Access our Dealer Directory  
Like us on Facebook  
Follow us on Twitter